


To hit rock bottom... and keep falling

by WhiteLilium



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Maria Hill, BAMF Tony, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Fluff and Angst, FrostIron - Freeform, Hydra (Marvel), Loki Does What He Wants, Loki Feels, Loki Needs a Hug, Lots of writing, M/M, Odin's A+ Parenting, Past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Tony Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-01 08:13:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2766005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteLilium/pseuds/WhiteLilium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of The Winter Soldier S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone and the Avengers scattered, leaving Tony alone in New York. No, not alone, Hill is still there to make his life a bit more miserable. That is until the day he finds a strange letter on his bar counter and Hill becomes the least of problems, being replaced by Norse gods, missing directors and megalomaniac Nazis. Oh joy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You have a Message

**Author's Note:**

> Okay… this is the first thing I write in a very long time and english is not my first language, so please be patient with me. I have an amazing beta asgardianabsinthe (silver_lining), who's been doing a fantastic job (Thank you!!!) and you should go check her fics.
> 
> Now, about this story, it takes place after Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2 and I twisted them all to fit my crazy ideas. Deal with it! :) 
> 
> Please review and tell me what you think.  
> Enjoy!

Tony sighed in frustration and read the parchment for what felt like the one hundredth time. And it probably was. But the thing made as much sense as it did the first time, meaning: none!

* * *

 

 

He had found the letter the night before, when he came home from another boring meeting with potential clients. Pepper had given him the evil glare the entire time because his focus was anywhere but on the man speaking. But then again, she had been giving him the evil glare every time they met lately. Not the point! He was bored to tears and his client seemed to have been talking for hours.

When he finally got out of there, way past dinner time, and arrived at the tower he made a bee line for the bar. He needed a drink... or several, before going to the workshop to work on a new suit. That was when he found the very strange envelope addressed to him. Of course his first instinct was to take a step back from it, not knowing what it could be. Without touching it, he studied the letters forming his name _Anthony Stark._ Anthony? No one had called him Anthony since his father died. Neat penmanship. And Tony knew how to recognize expensive ink when he saw it. There was no post mark or even a return address, so it was delivered here personally.

“JARVIS, what’s this letter?” He asked his A.I., still not touching the item as he reached for the tumbler and poured himself a drink. “How’d it get here?”

“I am sorry, Sir, but I have no recollection of how it appeared.” Came the British voice a few seconds later.

That made Tony frown in genuine worry. Whoever put it there was smart enough to tamper with JARVIS. And Tony was supposedly the only one to know how to do that. For a moment he wondered if he could even trust anything his A.I. said, the thought made him panic.

“What do you mean you don't know how it ended up here?” He asked trying not to sound as desperate as he was feeling. JARVIS was designed to have no such flaws, if tampered with it was supposed to fix itself within seconds. This was not good. Not good at all! 

“What I mean, Sir, is that one second there was nothing on the counter and the next there was the envelope addressed to you.” The A.I. explained in his calm voice. “I ran every possible test I was able to and they show it is completely harmless. It contains no toxins or explosives.”

“Show me the footage from five minutes before it happened.” The engineer ordered and turned to the big, flat screen near the bar. Two seconds later he was watching his own bar with nothing out of place. The timer read 15:17:35pm., the man stared at the screen for five minutes for any change or sign of movement. There was absolutely nothing until the timer hit 15:22:35pm. and suddenly there was a white envelope on the exact same spot the original still was, as if mocking him.

“Repeat the last twenty seconds and zoom-in on the counter. Freeze the moment it appears.” He ordered again and waited. For twenty seconds there was nothing there and then, just like before, the envelope was there, out of nowhere. No tampered clock, no sign of cut footage, no fucking owl dropping it. Nothing. “What the hell?” He mumbled, still finding all this hard to believe or even understand, but he had to admit he was dying to open the damn thing and find out what this all was about.

“JARV, are you _sure_ there is nothing explosive or poisonous here?” He asked wondering if he should get one of his suits..

“I am, Sir.” Came the quick reply. “But I suggest you call Agent Romanov or Agent Barton before you open it. It is rather suspicious how it got here.”

If Tony didn't know any better he would say he was hearing some anger in JARVIS’s voice. The A.I. was programmed to know everything that was going on at all of Tony's houses and somehow there was a strange envelope appearing out of thin air. Literally. Yeah, JARVIS was entitled to be angry over this.

“That's not gonna happen!” He heard himself reply. “They're busy fighting who-knows-what somewhere. My mail is the least of their worries.” And no, there was no resentment in his tone as he said that. “I'm doing this.”

Without any further delay, he grabbed the envelope, noticing it was sealed on the back with green wax and an L. He opened it carefully not to tear the paper or the seal and was only half surprised to find what had to be parchment inside.

  _Stark,_

_I believe this letter will surprise you, but its purpose is simple. I am officially giving you notice that I’m establishing permanent residence here on Midgard, or Earth, as you prefer to call this realm. This is part of my sentence given by Odin All-Father. I was sentenced to be imprisoned on Asgard, after which I was invited to leave with the sole requirement of contacting one of the Avengers if I ever decided to enter this realm again. For my own safety I am not disclosing my location, but rest assured I mean absolutely no harm to your people; I only seek the quiet life your Midgard offers. Please, preserve this parchment, it’s enchanted to deliver messages both ways to prevent your technology from locating me, yet giving you the chance to contact me should the need arise. Feel free to do so if you require any further explanation._

_Loki_

By the time he finished reading his jaw was dropped all the way to the floor. This was Loki's letter. The God of Mischief voluntarily wrote to tell him he was living on Earth. For some stupid reason the only thing his brain was freaking out about was the fact that Loki had a way to get inside the tower without setting off any alarms. Or at least to make stuff appear. What was stopping him from sending a bomb? Or poison his food? Or filling his bed with snakes? He sighed and poured himself the much wanted, and needed drink, drained the glass and refilled it.

So... Loki was back on Earth and no matter what he claimed, Tony wasn't about to believe the god wouldn't try something evil again.

“JARVIS, we're hitting the workshop! I want to know everything there is to know about this damn parchment!” He announced, drinking his second whiskey in one go. He grabbed the offending envelope and went downstairs.

“Sir, may I suggest again that you call someone else to deal with this?” The British voice asked when he entered the workshop.

“Someone who?” Tony asked instead of answering, making an effort not to snap at is creation. “SHIELD is gone, the Council is in pieces, Fury is missing along with Clint, Nat and Steve. Hydra is everywhere and I don't want them getting their hands on Loki.” Who knew what they would do with the crazy god on their side? “So, who do you suggest to call?” By now it was obvious it was a rhetoric question.

“Maybe you should call Thor, Sir.” The machine insisted.

“Oh, yeah! Because all that family drama is exactly what I need!” He retorted sarcastically. “I'm dealing with this on my own.”

“As opposed to everything else...” Came the sarcastic reply and again, Tony could almost hear a sigh at the end and softened his stance. For the past three months it was only him and JARVIS at the tower with the occasional visit from Bruce. The A.I. was the only thing keeping him sane, well fed and rested while his world fell apart around him piece by piece.

His Malibu mansion was destroyed and the reconstruction was taking a lot longer than anticipated, even more now that Pepper was not directly involved any more.

Pepper... the man gave a tired sigh thinking about his ex girlfriend. After the mess with the Extremis she decided she couldn't deal with the stress anymore and made him an ultimatum. Iron Man or Her. He never gave her an answer, he couldn't do that. He was Iron Man. He would never forget why he created his first suit and giving up now felt like a betrayal to Yinsen and to all the people who died with his weapons. If she couldn't understand how important this was to him, then they were a mistake. He kept all his suits after the battle and she packed her things three days later. She was still his CEO and he hoped one day they could go back to being friends but it was still too soon for that to happen. So he was now stuck with Hill as his assistant and official liaison to the Stark Industries when he could avoid to go there himself. He was sure she hated him, but there was nothing new there, she wasn't his biggest fan while working for SHIELD either. That was another huge mess in his life now. SHIELD was gone and somehow the world thought that, with the Avengers scattered as they were, it was Tony's responsibility assure the global security. Well... at least Stark Industries was better than ever. Yeah... at least there was that!

“Okay, JARVIS, let's get this party started.” He said as he put the parchment and envelope to be properly scanned. “We need to find Loki and soon, before he does something.”

“Of course, Sir, where should we start?”

“Tell me everything about the parchment.” Tony ordered. “I want to know the material, the ink, where they were made, everything that was in contact with... and whatever you can think of.” Maybe this way he would be able to pinpoint where Loki was, or even his general location.

“That will take at least a couple of hours, Sir.” JARVIS warned but started the scans immediately.

“I know, but it's our only option.” Because he sure as hell wasn't about to use the thing as Loki oh so kindly suggested. Not until he exhausted all the other options anyway.

Tony decided to use that time to get all kind of information out of that letter and dissect it into a list of questions. Of course the main one was 'Why?' The god had an entire universe to explore and torment away from the Avengers, from Odin's constant vigilance, from Thor and from all the people he thought as inferior and tried to enslave. So why was he here? Why was he even out of the dungeons of Asgard? Tony knew he had faked his own death before the attack on Greenwich, Thor had told him everything that happened when he came to visit with Jane a couple of months before. He knew he tried to impersonate Odin while keeping him hidden but the plan backfired and the All-Father escaped. So why was he sentenced to such a short time in prison only to be kicked out of there some months later? Nothing about this was making any sense to him. For a moment, he reconsidered JARVIS’s advice to call Thor, only to dismiss it ten seconds later. He wasn't sure his fragile mental stability could survive the drama between those two.

His attention went back to the only piece of probable information in the letter. Loki said he was on Earth because of the quiet life. He couldn't be sure if the god were being honest and really living away from the chaotic New York and other big cities, but they needed some place to start looking and secluded areas were as good a place as any.

“JARV, I need you to find out all the strange deaths, thefts, disappearances, events or phenomena over the past month.” He requested trying not to cringe with the amount of information he was about to be bombed with. “I know it's a lot, but exclude all the normal occurrences and focus on the strange ones, like someone growing a tail or a rain of frogs. Weird stuff.” It was a shot in the dark and he was aware of it, but Loki was the God of Mischief, maybe he was living up to the title.

“Yes, Sir. Should I focus somewhere specifically or you want a global search?”

Tony had no way of knowing if Loki was serious about the quiet life and it would be stupid to overlook. “Start out of the big cities. Rural or remote areas first.” At least it gave them somewhere to start.

Almost three hours later he was starting to doubt his own sanity after reading dozens if not hundreds of strange events. He swore he would shoot himself if he read another article about little girls speaking on different/ancient tongues or farmers claiming their pigs/horses/chickens talked to them. Not to mention the gore of some of the crimes. So far he had basically nothing. Excluding the pounding headache.

That was when something caught his attention. Someone had stolen a necklace from a museum in Norway two weeks ago. There was nothing special about the jewel, being surrounded by other pieces a lot more valuable, except according to some old legend it belonged to the Goddess Frigga. Loki's mother. Or adoptive mother, whatever. Had Loki been on Earth for more than two weeks already?

“JARVIS, get me everything you can find about this robbery. Surveillance, police records, newspapers... everything.” This was his first lead since finding the damn letter, he wasn't about to let something escape him.

“Of course, Sir.” The A.I. responded. “Meanwhile, I have the first results from Loki's letter. Unfortunately, they are very vague.”

“Vague?” Tony frowned, not liking what he was hearing. He had the very best technology in the world, how could the results be vague?

“I was unable to identify the material of the parchment or the envelope. I can tell the ink is not chemical, probably from some plant or fruit, but completely unknown to us. The wax used to seal the letter is very common, though, you can find that brand everywhere in the world.” JARVIS explained showing the results on the screen. Both the parchment and the envelope were pristine clear, save from the ink and wax. I was able to date it around 1360 years old. It is fully embedded in magic matching Loki's. SHIELD had his magic signature studied after the battle of New York and I used their results to compare it to this.”

“So this is definitely from Loki, but we can't use it to track him.” The engineer summarized with a tired sigh. He went to the small area of his improvised bar and started to pour himself a drink only to shrug and put the glass back in its place, taking the bottle instead. No, he wasn't trying to get drunk but he needed something to help the pounding in his head and the alcohol usually worked like a charm, a lot better than the pills.

“You could try the spectrometers, Sir.” JARVIS suggested. “And you shouldn't be drinking considering you skipped dinner.”

“No. I only have private access to the ones owned by Stark Industries.” Tony explained, ignoring the part about his drinking. “I don't want to alert anyone to Loki's presence. Not yet anyway.” There was nobody he could trust with this information yet, not with Hydra infiltrated everywhere. They would jump at the opportunity to use Loki as a weapon against their enemies and he wasn't sure the god could or would refuse them.

“For now we follow the necklace.” He decided, taking a few long gulps from the bottle before he put it away. It wouldn't do to get drunk now. “What do you have about it?”

“I'm sorry, Sir, but it looks like some common robbery.” He showed the newspapers and the police records. “Someone disabled the alarm, cut the cameras and knocked the guards out. They simply broke the glass and took the necklace.”

Tony was analysing every detail on the screen, but it didn't make sense. It was all very... amateur, for lack of a better word. Loki could just magic the necklace out of there, like he did with the letter, but whoever did this triggered the alarms right before disabling them, along with security footage. This seemed the work of a common thief, not Loki. But they had an entire museum full of valuable, priceless art and jewellery, why would they steal only what was supposed to be Frigga's necklace?

“This makes no fucking sense!” Tony muttered, rubbing his eyes to try and alleviate his headache.

“Maybe it's time for you to rest, Sir.” The A.I. suggested. “You have been awake for almost forty-eight hours now.”

Tony grimaced with the information and agreed to get some sleep. “Okay... keep following the news and the police records about the necklace and wake me up if something happens.” He ordered, putting the letter back in the envelope and taking it to the bedroom, noticing it was dawn. He’d spent his night in the workshop because of that stupid god and apparently in vain!

He read the letter again and again, but it still wasn't making sense to him. He was tired, he had a headache and the lack of sleep wasn't helping. Throw the lack of food and the couple of drinks he had into the mix and nobody could really blame him for what he did next. He grabbed a pen from the bedside table, turned the parchment around, and wrote the most pressing question he had. _How the fuck did you dodge my security and sneak this letter into my fucking tower?_


	2. A new beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back with the second chapter of this story and we finally have Loki, along with some answers.  
> The first chapter wasn’t exactly popular and I’m wondering if I should keep writing this or just drop the idea. Please, please let me know what you guys think of this.

“Are you certain this is the real book, Peter?” Loki asked the young man behind the counter, not bothering to hide his suspicion. Over the past month he had learned this old store was a paradise to find very rare and valuable items, most of them with dubious origin and not always acquired by legal or even earthly means. He'd found it when he was looking for a few objects he needed to acquire, and more than once his locator spells sent him here. At first he thought it would be a museum or a private collector's home, only to be surprised when his quick research told him it was a book/antique store. Leave it to the Midgardians to have something like that! “I don't want to pay for some adulterated version for amateurs.”

“Of course Mr. Laufeyson.” The clerk answered quickly. “The person that brought it found it at a burial site. Those are usually reliable.”

Loki could see there was no hint of dishonesty in his answer. That was the reason he liked the man, as much as he wanted to sell, he'd never tried to wrong him. He let his eyes roam the cover and the first few pages. A simple spell would have told him everything he wanted to know about the book's origin, but that would also mean revealing his powers to the man, something he wasn't ready to do yet, if ever at all. He could do the spell once he was out of there.

“We'll see...” He hummed non-committedly. “I'll come back in three days for the crystals and let you know the authenticity of this.” That was not a threat, at least not to the young man. If Loki was being fooled with this book, it was not Peter's fault. He was the God of Lies, he knew well when people lied to him and that hadn't happened.

When the man nodded, the god pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to him with a pleasant smile. “Have a nice day.” Without waiting for a reply he took the book and exited the store, eager to find a place secluded enough where he could perform the spell.

The street was too busy to do that, so he walked a few blocks until he found a deserted alley where he could have his privacy while he chanted the words and touched the cover. A few seconds later he felt the book's magic mixing with his own, absorbing it.

“Yes...” He breathed as a smile appeared slowly on Loki's face, illuminating it. The book was authentic. One of the spell books lost since the first time he and Thor had ventured on to Midgard, and he thought it was gone forever until Peter started describing it to him. Suddenly his morning had started to look a lot better.

He'd spent most of the night looking at the parchment, matching the one he had sent to Stark, waiting for... something. Loki couldn't even tell what he was waiting for. He was ready to deal with rage, shock, threats... whatever the billionaire wanted to throw his way. What he wasn't ready for was to be completely ignored as he was. He knew that even with the time difference between New York and the U.K. there was no chance the man would have missed his letter the entire night, so he had to be ignoring it. Unless he had some kind of response waiting for him at home, which he wasn't so certain of.

That thought reminded him he still had errands to run, so he safely put the book inside his jacket and looked around to make sure he was still alone before he teleported back to the north, leaving the busy London behind.

Less than a second later he materialized in front of his mansion, more of a small castle, on the outskirts of Castletown, Scotland. That was a peculiar location, he was aware of it, but the small village had the privacy and seclusion he needed for now.

When he arrived at Midgard almost two months ago, he'd tried to find a place in the North, where the weather was cold as he liked, but Norway would be too logical in case Stark decided to come after him. He'd also excluded Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Russia would raise too many questions he preferred to avoid, so he'd almost ended up in London. Two days in and he was about to go mad with the crazy rhythm of the city. He needed a quiet place where he could concentrate on his magic. So he came to the North and found this small, beautiful village that luckily had a mansion to sell by the sea.

It had been too easy to forge a human identity with an entire background, and create a fake but very wealthy bank account more than able to afford his lifestyle thanks to his magic. Now the trickiest part was to deal with the villagers. He wasn't here with the intent of making friends, but being rude or mischievous towards these people would get him nowhere and not being seen by them would again, raise too many questions. So he had been living a very normal, almost boring life at least to their eyes. He went out for groceries, ran the usual errands and was always nice to everyone, which wasn't difficult as long as they kept treating him as well as they did so far.

Of course this location was somewhat of a private joke. One that reminded him too much of Thor. He could almost imagine him laughing if he ever found out Loki chose to live in a village less than five minutes away from Thurso, a town named after him. But he didn't want to think about his non-brother. For all he knew, the blond was still living in the New Mexico with his woman and seemed to be as done with Asgard as he was. At least until the All-Father demanded his presence, then he had little doubt the idiot would run there as fast as he could. In a way he pitied Jane. Such a brilliant mind wasted on Thor.

Loki sighed and entered the mansion, it was easier to teleport outdoors and he hadn't wanted to put too much effort into it. He still needed to run a few errands, but it was a risk to do it with the spell book on him so he went upstairs to the big library that he also used as a study and carefully deposited it on one of the shelves with a quick protective spell that would ensure it wouldn't be summoned, stolen or destroyed. “I hope you'll provide a joyous study later.” He hummed more to himself than to the book and was about to leave the when he turned and his eyes fell on the parchment left on the desk.

Stark had replied. The writing was... hasty, as if he were in a hurry... or furious. The god could bet on the second option, judging by the words the man had used. He re-read the question and burst into laughter. Oh! He'd almost forgotten why he liked the Iron Man slightly more than any other of his little band of so-called superheroes. The man wasn't on this because of his great sense of righteousness as the captain or even Thor, or because he had no other option given his skills, like the assassins. No. Tony Stark was on this because he simply could. He was a genius, he'd created an army of flying suits fully equipped with weapons that Loki had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of. But that didn't soil his grudging admiration. Not too much. Stark's mind was brilliant when compared with the regular Midgardian, even with most Aesir, of course his first question had to be about what failed in his security. The god could almost relate to that. He hated when one of his trusted spells failed him, and this had to be very similar. That was the reason he decided to give a clear and honest answer.

_Good Morning Mr. Stark. Please rest assured I did not dodge your security, as you put it. I teleported the letter to your tower but did not invaded your home. The envelope materialized on your counter with the help of my magic but nothing else was disrupted. I believe that is the reason why your alarms didn't warn you. As I said before, I'm not here to fight or cause any trouble._

Loki knew this wouldn't be enough to cease the questions, but it was all he could reveal without going in too much detail or revealing what he had been doing. He had just gotten out of prison on Asgard two months ago, he wasn't in a hurry to go back to one on Midgard as well. Not to mention he doubted prison here would be as... pleasant as his last one.

He broke out of prison, went against Odin's orders, faked his own death and returned only to imprison the king and take his place. It was almost a miracle he was set free so soon. But the All Father wasn't known for his good decisions lately. Since Frigga had died, the old god was little more than a ghost. Wandering the palace, focusing on the painting, the flowers, the animals, anything but on his duty as king. When Loki was released it was an understatement to say he was surprised. He thought he would rot there for centuries before he would be able to escape, yet Odin ordered his release, had one of the guards escort him out and give him the letter with his obligations. When Loki asked to speak to him the older god outright refused and ordered Heimdall to make sure he left the realm to never come back.

He knew Frigga's death had been the last toll for the All-Father. It wouldn't surprise him if he fell into the Odinsleep soon enough. And who could blame him? The Queen had always been the one to ground the royal family together, now that she was gone there was nothing to keep the realm from falling apart. But that was not Loki's problem anymore. Odin had made sure of it.

Of course Loki missed her just as much, he wouldn't try to deny, not even the God of Lies could lie like that. Frigga had always been his anchor to Asgard, his confidant, his only hope of acceptance. Even at his worst, she'd always been there for him... one way or the other. His eyes trailed to one of the shelves by the desk, to the necklace that belonged to his mother.

He sighed, shaking his head as he looked back at the parchment, half expecting another angry question, but none came. He had no way of knowing if Stark hadn't read his reply yet or if he was simply ignoring him. Whatever it was, he had things to do, he couldn't wait by the desk all day waiting for the next set of questions or insults. “What in the name of the Nine Realms am I doing?” He muttered and left the library shaking his head again, somewhat disappointed with his own behaviour. “I'm not sitting there waiting for that idiotic human to think about his next question.” He mumbled throwing the front door and leaving the house. He had something else to attend to, not to mention the last thing he needed was for Stark to make him loose the good fruit and fish at the market because he went too late!

Once outside he inhaled the fresh air, loving how clean it was, at least compared with London or New York. Here he could smell the ocean and feel the cold wind in his long locks of black hair. He hadn't cut it since he left Asgard, and wasn't in a hurry to. He found out he liked the way the dark locks fell on his shoulders and decided to keep it that way. As strange as it sounded, Loki was finding out a lot about himself during these last two months, finally having the time to experiment without the constant frown of his non-father and non-brother, without feeling consumed with rage, desperation, jealousy or whatever other feeling he’d had over the past centuries. But it was almost easy to forget about it here. Here was who he wanted to be. He finally had the time to go back to his study of magic, to procure the books, objects, herbs and even people he needed. It was fortunate he was able to travel the realms at his will so this was not that difficult. And most importantly, here he had been able to properly mourn his mother at last, because revenge had been only the first part of the process. Now all he could do was to hold on to every small reminder of her. Like the necklace he had stolen from one of the museums.

When he reached the small market he lost himself in the different fruits and vegetables, asking questions about them, and listening fascinated to the explanations how to cook and mix them together. He had to admit, mortals knew how to cook! Everyone looked obviously at him, but unlike his time on Asgard, there was no fear or suspicion in their eyes, only open curiosity. This was such a small village he considered it normal. Less than one hour later he had everything he needed, including some extra fruits one of the ladies offered him to try. Even though her intent was clear, he politely thanked for them but didn't lead her on in any way. Despite being a beautiful and apparently nice woman, she held no interest to him.

His last stop before returning home was at a garden centre. It was a very nice space, full of plants, flowers and small trees, some of which he couldn't identify. There was an old lady watering a plant that Loki recognized from the previous times he'd come here. When she noticed his presence she opened a smile and put the watering can down before going to him. “Mr. Laufeyson, I'm glad to see you.” She said warmly. “Your tree arrived yesterday.”

That made Loki smile back in pure delight. “It's good to see you too, Rose. More so with such good news.”

Rose smiled at him and made a gesture for him to move to the patio outside full of trees, most of them in big pots. She stopped by a small silver birch tree. “Here you go, Mr. Laufeyson. I hope this is what you were looking for.”

It was only when he was about to speak that Loki noticed he had been holding his breath and discretely released it. There it was, a silver birch tree, one of the few symbols that immediately reminded him of Frigga. This had been one of her favourites for representing grace and devotion.

While looking for a home, Loki made sure it had a garden big enough, where he could have a birch tree. He knew it would take years if not centuries to grow as large as the one they had in Asgard. But he had time.

“Yes... this is exactly what I was looking for.” He said in a whisper before he cleared his voice and turned back to the lady. “May I have it delivered to my house?” He asked, not wanting to raise questions if he tried to vanish it into thin air.

“But of course. I'll have it delivered later today, if that's okay for you.”

Loki nodded, still slightly entranced by the tree and all the memories it brought him of his childhood when he used to run around the one in the palace's garden, of the hours he spent under it reading with Frigga, or talking about his magic.

Loki returned home with an uncommon sense of nostalgia to cook himself lunch. One thing he learned about himself over the last two months was how much he loved to cook. He started doing it out of necessity, not wanting to hire strangers to his home, but quickly discovered how much it reminded him of his potions and soon enough he learned a lot about it. Today, though his mind was elsewhere entirely, going from the topic of his Mother to Stark. The god hadn't returned to the library yet to check on the parchment, he refused to go out of his way to please the mortal. So, if there was a reply it would have to wait until he had the time to go there.

That time came twenty minutes later, as his salmon was in the oven and Loki finally went to the library. Of course there was another question waiting for him in the parchment. This time the words were more sober but still made him laugh. Again, Stark could have asked a thousand things about Loki, his whereabouts, his intentions, could have threatened him or even ignored him. Yet he was still trying to dissect the little pieces, that brilliant brain of his was still solving the puzzle. 

_'You stole that necklace from the museum in Norway, didn't you?'_

Loki had to admit it was a shame they’d once fought on opposite sides and still considered each other as enemies. Tony Stark had a truly impressive brain that fascinated him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo?? Loved it? Hated it? Should I keep writing this? Should I stop?  
> Please review and give me some kind of feedback.


	3. Who died and left me in charge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the reviews and kuddos. I wasn't sure this story had any readers at all and it was a good surprise to know it does. So... keep them coming. XD

Tony’s day was going from catastrophically bad to please-drop-a-grand-piano-on-me-right-now kind of worst, at hallucinating speed and he’d only been up for less than a minute. That couldn't be a good sign. It had been almost 9 in the morning when he’d finally been able to fall asleep after waiting more than half an hour for Loki’s answer. When none came, he just gave up and let his eyes close of their own volition to wake up at 3 in the afternoon with a pounding headache, a revolting stomach and JARVIS announcing that Ms. Hill was on her way up to the penthouse. ‘Where’s that fucking piano?’

“Tell her to wait in the living room.” He groaned, and got up from the bed. Of course he glanced at the parchment on the bedside table. There was an answer there, but he didn't bother to read it, there was only so much he could deal with so soon after waking up, especially without his coffee yet.

 

“Did you just get out of bed?” Maria asked, looking incredulous at the man when Tony entered the living room freshly showered and fully dressed in jeans and a shirt. “It’s the middle of the afternoon.”

“No shit, really? I do own a watch” He muttered rudely. “I was working all night. What do you want?” He asked as he started the coffee machine and got his mug ready, making it clear he wasn't offering her one. He wasn't exactly known for his good manners, she wouldn't be offended and if she was, she could just leave. Of course he had no such luck! She sat at one of the stools and dropped a small tower of papers in front of him.

“Here, Pepper asked me to give you this. You need to read and sign them all by the end of the week.” She explained with a small sadistic smile. She obviously knew how much he hated paperwork. That was the reason he had Pepper! To deal with the paperwork! This had to be some kind of revenge orchestrated by the two women. They shouldn't have been allowed to meet. Ever!

“And you bothered to come all the way up here just to give me this?” He asked when his brain had seemed to start functioning. A staffer could have brought him the papers, there was no reason for Hill to do it. “Why are you here, Hill?” He asked, looking at her.

For the first time that morning, the former agent seemed nervous, even insecure of what she was about to say. She opened her mouth a couple of times only to close it again, clearly searching for words.

“Have you heard any news from Fury lately?” She finally asked.

He could see she was suspending her breath as she waited for his answer. The thing was, the question made him frown. No, he hadn't heard a word from the man but he assumed if there were a person he had been in contact with in New York it had to be Hill. The fact that she was nervous about this told him that hadn't been the case. That wasn't good!

“Husband’s missing, hum?” The words were a joke but his tone was serious. He was aware Hill would've never come to him if she hadn't exhausted every other option. “But no. I haven’t heard from him since he left.” He answered as he studied her face and the way the worry in her eyes only seemed to grow. “Why? What’s happening?” He finally asked.

“He contacts me at least once a week to let me know how he’s progressing.” She explained. “It has been three weeks and two days since the last time he checked in with me.”

He had to admit that couldn't be good. Not only Fury loved protocol, even when there was no agency anymore, but he knew the man had some kind of soft spot for Hill and wouldn't leave her in the dark. Not willingly. Something serious must have happened.

“Where was he the last the last time he contacted you?” He asked standing from the stool so he could go and grab the tablet from the couch.

“That’s… confidential.” Maria answered after a pregnant silence, clearly calculating the risks of telling him.

“Really, Hill? It’s me!!” Tony huffed and rolled his eyes. “You’re asking for my help but can’t tell me where Nick’s vacationing this time?” He was starting to feel even more frustrated with his day, which meant his level of sarcasm would only grow, along with his frustration.

“Salzburg, Austria.” The way she answered left little doubts how much she hated to reveal top secret information.

The man frowned, not expecting that answer. “What could he possibly be doing there? There’s nothing there other than a few tourist attract…” He trailed off as he remembered something from the only time he had been there with Pepper for a music recital, a long time ago. The city was on the border with Germany. “He was about to enter Germany, wasn't he?” He didn't need for Hill to answer, her worried look was more than enough to tell him everything. “Alone, with no back up, directly into the belly of the beast.” He whistled shaking his head. “And I’m the stupid, reckless one.”

“Fury must have had a plan.” She said, leaving the stool to walk around the room. “I know he was trying to follow a lead on Strucker. He had information the baron personally kept some of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s confiscated weapons, but it was only a rumour when he last called me. He had no confirmation and no way of knowing which items were on that list.”

Tony looked up from the tablet to fix his eyes on her. “Wait a second! You’re telling me there’s a crazy Nazi out there with an arsenal of weapons and Fury waltzed right into his hands?” He asked still having some trouble to process all that information.

Hill’s response was a somber look. She was well aware what kind of weapons S.H.I.E.L.D. confiscated. Some of them made the Iron Man suits look like children’s toys.

“JARVIS get me all the security footage from Salzburg of the day Fury last contacted Hill. Start with the train station.” Tony ordered, turning to the big flat screen that was, usually, his TV, leaving his coffee behind. Who needed coffee anymore?

“Stark, Barton and Romanov are positioned in Warsaw.” She volunteered the information. “They are handling the agents that infiltrated one of the Hydra’s branches. Should I contact them?”

Tony was dividing his attention between the first seconds of security footage from the train station on the TV and typing something on his tablet but that question made him stop and look at the woman. “Who died and left me in charge?”

Of course that earned him a furious glare, but maybe he shouldn't be making jokes about people dying, not when they had no idea where Fury was or his status.

“Fine, not appropriate, I get it!” He raised his hands in surrender and thought about it. They didn't know what was happening to Fury or his even his location. It was risky to send someone there. “Contact them and tell them what’s going on, maybe they can find something through their agents on the field. Tell them to be ready to leave at any second once we have some actual clue.” Because for now, as much as he hated to admit, they had nothing. Excluding his headache!

“Sir.” Came JARVIS’s voice. “I was able to find some footage of Director Fury at the train station.” The image appeared on the TV and showed the man carrying a backpack casually looking at the departures board.

“That’s good.” Hill said not able to hide the enthusiasm from her voice. “Can you follow his steps?” She asked.

“I’m afraid that is not possible, Miss Hill.” The A.I. answered in his calm voice. “After this, Director Fury stepped out of camera’s reach.” He explained. “There were fifteen trains departing in the next half hour of this footage and I tried to locate him on each of the train stations he could have stopped at but to no avail.”

“He’s a spy. He knows how to avoid cameras.” Tony said with a sigh. “He could have gone anywhere.”

“He’s in Munich.” Maria said without a hint of doubt, looking at the frozen image of Nick Fury in the screen. At Tony’s questioning look she shrugged as if it should have been obvious. “Is the last known location of Wolfgang von Strucker.”

“And what’s Fury’s great plan? To lecture him to death?” Tony has having some trouble to keep his snark to a minimum, but all this was looking worse by the second. “Do we have any way of knowing what he stole from S.H.I.E.L.D.?” He finally asked Hill.

“I have the list of items S.H.I.E.L.D. had in the vaults. If JARVIS can hack into Hydra’s files and see what they have, we can assume Strucker has whatever is missing from both.” She helped.

“That will certainly take me a few hours, Miss Hill. I believe it’s possible.” JARVIS answered before Tony could even ask the question. Or make some other rude remark about the ‘hacking’.

“Do that. I have a meeting with Pepper in one hour but I’ll email you the list and contact Natasha and Clint when I’m done.” She replied already walking to the elevator. She stopped for a second and turned back to look at Tony. “Thank you for doing this.” She said and stepped into the metal box.

The genius watched her go and gave a long sigh. He had a very bad feeling about all this. It wasn't like Fury to go weeks without establishing contact, so this couldn’t be good. He looked back at the tablet, the screen showing a map of a compound. He hadn't said a word about it to Hill, but ever since Hydra reappeared he’d made a point of finding out each of their locations and there were two in Munich.

For months he’d toyed with the idea of just going there, bombing all those places and be done with them. But an action like that was not only to basically declare war on them but also to all the countries where they had branches. And now he couldn't very well do it, if Fury was being held in one of those places.

He went to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey as he worked on the tablet, trying to form a rescue plan. Of course he would need Hawkeye and Widow for that, but he was sure they would come as soon as they knew about Fury’s disappearance.

One hour later he had nothing but a way to get past the outer gate. This wasn't his thing. He knew how to blow things up, not how to make a clean entrance, rescue and exit. “Where the hell is the Cap when we need him?” He muttered to himself and turned the device off, stretching.  It was useless to even try, the assassins would have to form the plan of rescue if they needed one. For now he had another problem to deal with. Loki.

He had been in a hurry when Hill arrived and didn’t read the reply from the god, but now he had nothing better to do, so he went back to the bedroom and finally read the neat words. Seriously, who had that perfect calligraphy???

_I did not steal the necklace from the museum, as you inquired, Mr. Stark. But I must admit I had someone doing it for me. That necklace belonged to Frigga, the Queen of Asgard and my adoptive Mother. I like to think of this act as an unorthodox inheritance. Again, I reassure you there is nothing dangerous about that jewellery and I want it for personal reasons only. I know that stealing was not the correct way of obtaining it, but was the only form to having it. If it makes you feel better, I can even donate a generous amount to that museum. And once again, I would appreciate your silence. I've been living a very peaceful life since I arrived on Midgard and wish to keep it that way. May I trust you to keep this small misdeed between us, Mr. Stark?_

Tony read that message over and over, not knowing what to think of it. So, now Loki was hiring common thieves to steal jewellery for their sentimental value alone? That was such a terrible excuse it might even be true.

He grabbed the pen he’d used earlier and wrote a reply before he could really stop himself.

_Really? You went through all that trouble to steal dear Mommy’s necklace for no good reason? I’m sorry if I don’t believe that._

He regretted the words almost as soon as he wrote them. He remember how wrecked he felt when his own mother died, and they had never been that  close to each other. Not to mention how sad Thor looked when he visited right after Frigga’s death, of course he was also mourning his brother, but the way he spoke about the Queen told him she was loved by both her sons.  So… maybe this message had been highly insensitive. But this was Loki… he had no idea how else to treat him.

The reply came almost immediately and made him cringe, confirming how rude he had been.

_I never said it was for no good reason. Sentimental value is good enough reason for me and I would appreciate more respect when you refer to the Queen of Asgard! We may be enemies but nothing warrants you the liberty to disrespect those I consider family._

Great, now Tony felt like he was being scolded, just like when he was a kid. But maybe he deserved it this time. As much as he hated to admit it, Loki was right. No matter what happened between them he had no right to joke about the Queen. 

He watched fascinated as the ink disappeared so he could write his own reply, virtually allowing them to use the parchment forever. He’d thought their contact with each other would be over once he had no more space to write. Apparently they would have no such problem.

_I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re right. That was insensitive of me. And I’m sorry for referring to Queen Frigga that way. But it doesn't change my suspicions. You have to admit, it’s not like you to want something only for its sentimental value._

_By the way, this parchment is freaking cool in a creepy kind of way._

This time Loki took longer to answer and after five minutes with no new reply, Tony decided to put it aside for a moment and order himself some dinner, which was for all purposes… his breakfast. It was only when he had a lasagne on its way to the tower that he returned to the parchment and Loki’s reply.

_I believe you have no knowledge about me prior to the attack to affirm such thing. I may not ever forgive Odin for what he did to me, the lies he brought me up into and the permanent feeling of unsuitability he nurtured in me. But Frigga always had my love and respect, so believe it or not, Mr. Stark, the necklace does have a great sentimental value._

_And I am not certain I understood the meaning of your last sentence regarding the parchment._

Tony was at a loss. Everything Loki was saying made some kind of sense. And they were talking about a necklace, something that had been in exhibition for decades and probably studied dozens of times. If the jewellery had something dangerous it would have been detected a long time ago. But what kind of message was he sending if he allowed Loki to steal objects without intervening? Then again, this was not a shiny object that Loki saw, liked and decided to take for himself. This belonged to his mother. Or adoptive mother. Whatever! 

_Okay, fine. Keep the necklace, but if I ever hear something about it being used for one of your evil schemes, I’m kicking your ass!_

_And what I meant about the parchment is that it’s strange to see the ink disappear, but is a nice trick._

The billionaire was still second guessing his decision about letting Loki keep the necklace without informing the authorities. Hell, he was second guessing the decision of not calling someone about his presence on Earth. But for now he had a problem a lot bigger than Loki, as long as the god didn't pull one of his stunts and attack something. Fury had to be a priority or Hill would never let him live to regret it.

_You have my gratitude for your silence and my reassurance there is nothing out of the ordinary with the necklace. I only wish to keep him as a reminder of Frigga._

_The parchment has a simple enchantment, but it is not a trick, Mr. Stark!_

Was it just him or Loki was a bit defensive about the parchment? Tony had called it a trick because he had no idea what else to call it. Magic was not exactly his forte and he wasn't sure that was a spell or something else entirely so he named it a trick. The defensive response made him remember some of Thor’s remarks about magic, though. Maybe this was not the first time the younger god had someone belittling his powers, even if inadvertently as this time.

JARVIS’s voice distracted from his mental ramblings. “Sir, your delivery arrived and is on the way up.”

That brought him quickly back to the moment. He stood from the bed, leaving the parchment and went to get his food, tipping the guy generously as usual, before sat at the kitchen island eating slowly, still thinking about everything that happened since he’d came home the night before.

Loki was a very possible problem, but not an imminent one, and for now he decided to keep it a secret. Besides, there was little he could do without a location, not to mention there was no S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore, even if he told Hill they had no way to imprison him. Or a reason to.

What they needed was to focus on Fury, to make sure the guy was still alive and find a way to bring him back home, preferably in one piece. As much as he hated to admit, the man was not that bad and pulled him out of a very bad situation. He would probably be dead if he hadn't shown up when he did with that injection. Not to mention what he’d told him about his father.

“JARV, do we have any news on Fury?” He asked the A.I.

“I’m afraid not, Sir.” Came the calm reply. “I’m still running facial recognition on all the cameras I can access in Munich from the day Director Fury disappeared, but so far there is nothing.” He explained. “Although, I was able to get a list of the items Hydra kept of S.H.I.E.L.D’s vaults. And Miss Hill sent the list of everything they had.” He showed both lists on the nearest screen. “I took the liberty of making a list of the missing items. There are thirty. You have it on your phone, Sir.”

“Thanks, JARV, you’re the best.” He praised affectionately and slowly started going through each item.

This wasn't good. There was a little bit of everything on that list, from nuclear bombs to strange objects they weren't even sure what they were. Exactly the kind of thing they needed in the hands of a megalomaniac Nazi! He kept scrolling down, cringing when he saw one of his own weapons there, luckily not something of massive destruction but still powerful enough to destroy a small village. The last item on that list, made him drop the phone on the counter and freeze. No, this couldn't be! They had little to no chance against it.

Strucker had Loki’s sceptre!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think of this chapter.


	4. (Un)pleasant Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back with a new chapter.  
> Let me start by thanking everyone who's been reading, living kudos, subscribing or commenting this story. Love you guys! ;)  
> Fair warning: I hated this chapter, somehow it didn't come out as I expected and I wasn't even sure if I would keep it. But my beta, asgardianabsinthe (silver_lining) liked it so... I can only thank all her help. Thank you!!!!

This was not how Loki had envisioned his night! After a very pleasant afternoon filled with tending to his new tree and revisiting old spells, almost forgotten in time, he thought the few messages exchanged with Tony about the necklace and his Mother were all the day had reserved for him. Now he was sitting with his tea and one of the extremely amusing novels the mortals came up with. He could spend nights reading book after book, half amazed, half surprised with the ingenious stories and writings. He still hadn’t given a chance to modern literature, as fascinated as he was with the classics, but he would get there, eventually. He had been about to start something called Faust – highly recommended by the strange young lady at the only bookshop around – when he noticed the parchment on his coffee table had a new message.

It was a short and intriguing question that made him frown and stare at the parchment for a full minute.

_So, I’m not accusing you of anything yet, but what’s your business with Hydra?_

No matter what Stark claimed, that was an accusation. And one that Loki had no idea how to interpret. Of course he wasn’t a stranger to the organization and was well aware of their part in the recent events on Midgard. After all, he made it his business to know every possible enemy and ally when in a new realm. But he couldn’t understand why Stark was bringing it up out of nowhere.

He debated with himself if he should even dignify whatever accusation it was with an answer, but Loki had always been a curious creature and the Iron Man must have had a reason to come up with that question.

He put his book down with a sigh, disappointed he was being forced to postpone his reading and looked around the table for his pen.

_None, I assure you. I am aware of their existence and their recent activity, dictating the end of your previous organization. I do keep a certain vigilance upon potential enemies and threats but I never had any contact with them. So, may I ask what are you not accusing me of, Mr. Stark?_

Loki didn’t wait for an answer that most certainly, wouldn’t be as straightforward as he wanted. Instead, he went to one of the shelves and brought out what seemed like a big, old, dusty book to open it on his desk. However, here was nothing old about its insides, as the cover might lead to believe. Inside, there were dozens of papers with reports and photos of the multiple intelligence agencies around the world, as well as some private names of singular individuals. He skipped the first three files about S.H.I.E.L.D., C.I.A. and N.S.A. – still wondering why humans loved to name everything with acronyms – and took the fourth file out, with an intriguing symbol below the name Hydra.

As soon as he had arrived on Midgard, the god knew he would never be entirely safe, so he created a mostly reliable network of informers to keep him briefed about potential threats against him. So far, it had been a relief to know this realm was so busy fighting among themselves, that except for a couple of agencies, nobody cared about Norse gods. The only files where his name was mentioned were on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s and Hydra’s. He just didn’t think he would have to worry more about the second… until tonight and Stark’s strange question.

Loki glanced at the parchment again to confirm there was still no answer from the infuriating man, and finding it empty made him only frown deeper. He redirected his attention back to the files in his hands, but there was very little of importance there. Reports of apprehended weapons that he’d never heard of or cared about, lists of captured agents (mainly from S.H.I.E.L.D.) but not any names he recognized, three attacks they were planning on old S.H.I.E.LD. compounds and one on a colloquium of nuclear weaponry where they intended to steal something he could only describe as a bomb, having no real knowledge of  the Midgardian war arsenal. None of this was new to the god, the reports were almost a week old and he had read them as soon as they arrived, archiving them when nothing caught his attention. To be fair, the most interesting information about Hydra these days were the number of empty buildings they kept, but seeing as they were gathering material, judging by their recent activities, Loki presumed they would be using them for storage very soon.

“What did you find about them, Stark, that my men couldn’t?” He whispered the question to himself, taking a sharp breath as an answer appeared in the parchment, as if hearing him.

_I’m sorry if I think it’s a huge coincidence that you show up on Earth around the same time Nick Fury goes missing and someone from Hydra gets its hands on an old toy of yours._

There was more to the message, but Loki didn’t even read it. His face was paler that normal as he took an involuntary step back from the desk and the parchment.

“No. No... no.” He muttered shaking his head, not even aware he was starting to shake. “How could Thor be so thick and reckless?”

‘An old toy of yours.’ There was no doubt Stark was talking about the sceptre Thanos gave to him to help the invasion. The sceptre containing one of the Infinity Gems. The sceptre Loki had used on them! How was that still in one piece? And accessible enough to fall into the wrong hands.

When Loki imprisoned Odin and reacquainted himself with Asgard’s vault, he saw no signs of the sceptre and assumed it had been destroyed either by S.H.I.E.L.D. or Odin after the battle. But apparently Thor didn’t recognize its power, leaving it on Midgard with his band of heroes and Stark believed it was now possessed by Hydra. 

The god doubted these mortals had any idea how powerful and dangerous that gem could be. What they saw of his use of it was nothing compared to its full potential when joined with the other gems. And for the sake of the entire universe he could only hope they never found out. But Loki had never been one to leave things to chance, he had to make sure that gem was destroyed.

As much as Loki hated to admit, this information changed everything. Not only was his peaceful life here compromised, but also everywhere else in the universe as long as that sceptre was in the wrong hands. He still wasn’t over the fact that his informants neglected such an important detail, but then again, they were not Tony Stark. And that brought him back to his original doubt. This could well be some kind of trap planned by Stark. But this was not his way of acting for what he’d gathered about the billionaire. Not to mention his organization was gone and Loki was not a fugitive from Asgard anymore. The mortal had no way of keeping him imprisoned, if that was his intention.

He finished his now cold tea and paced the room for a few minutes, letting his fingers discharge small sparks of magic to relive some of his tension. But the more he thought about solutions, the stronger the sparks were, because the only viable option he had was exactly the one he despised the most. Loki needed help. And the only person with enough resources to do it was Tony Stark.

The god grabbed the files his informants sent him about Hydra, which apparently wasn't much and chanted a few words in Old Norse, a quick spell to make sure if Stark was alone in the penthouse. His magic found him in the living room with a sombre look as was studying what the god thought to be some kind of projection of the sceptre. He took a deep breath, hopping he wasn't making a mistake and teleported to the living room of the Stark Tower, keeping a very safe distance between himself and the man.

“Hello Mr. Stark.” He greeted making the genius jump in surprise right before a loud noise invaded the room.

***

“Loki?!” Tony basically screeched, taking several steps back to put even more distance between them. His face was the first to become a show of calm and bravery but Loki could see the chocolate eyes were betraying him as he measured the distance to the nearest exit. That made the god curve his lips up in amusement.

“Do not fret, Mr. Stark. I’m not here to hurt you.” He said louder than he intended but he had to be heard over the alarm.

“Shut it JARV! I know he’s here.” Tony ordered and a second later the sound was gone, living them in an awkward silence that the billionaire interrupted as soon as he regained his usual confidence. Or at least put on a hell of a show to fake it. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Will you please calm down Mr. Stark? I’m not here to hurt you or to cause any problem.” Loki repeated the reassurance and took a few steps forward, letting his eyes roam the room. It was the same room where they had their previous talk, but it was different, after the remodel. He tried not to look at the spot where The Hulk had crushed his spine into the floor as he decided how to even start what could only be a tense and difficult discussion.

“Then why the hell are you here?” Tony beat him to it, the way he looked around his living room told Loki he was referring to the tower and not on Midgard in general. “And stop doing that!”

That made the god tilt his head to the side, not sure to what the man was referring this time. “Doing what, Mr. Stark?”

“That!!” Tony accused pointing a finger to Loki. “Stop calling me Mr. Stark. It’s too weird, like Pepper is going to show up at any moment with a contract for me to sign.”

Loki frowned as he looked at the genius, but centuries of practice made it look like curiosity and not the confusion he was feeling. “I thought that was the respectable form of treating other people who are not friends in this realm.”

“Still too weird!” Tony answered finally relaxing some of his stance, and went to the bar to pour himself another drink. “Tony is fine.”

Loki followed him with his eyes and took a few more steps forward, so they weren’t talking from opposite ends of the large room, but he was careful enough to keep some distance, not wanting the human to feel threatened. Not that the space made a difference if he was here to harm him, but he was not.

“And why would you want to be called by such a vulgar name?” His lips curled up again, forming a small smirk and his eyes sparked with amusement.

“Because Loki sounds so much better!” Tony replied sarcastically, sipping his drink before he rolled his eyes and decided to give him the long promised drink, filling another glass and leaving it on the bar.

“Yes, I believe it does.” The god nodded, not bothering to hide his amusement anymore. This was why he had always preferred the Iron Man over all the other Avengers. The man had a sense of humour he could relate with. And no sense of self preservation, judging by the way he expected him to walk to the bar, with nothing but the counter between them. It made no difference, but Loki had to give him credit for the bold move.

“You still haven’t answered me.” Tony remembered as he watched him approach the counter and accept the drink with another small nod of appreciation.

“You made a serious accusation. And even more serious revelation.”

“Are you trying to convince me you had no idea of what’s going on with Hydra and your sceptre?”

“The sceptre is not mine anymore.” He reminded with shrug and finally put the papers he had brought with him on the counter. “And this is all I have on Hydra. As you can see there is no reference of the sceptre or of Director Fury.”

Tony clearly wasn’t expecting that, let his curiosity take charge and grabbed the papers to read them in unusual silence, his brow lowering with each page turned.

“How did you even get your hands on this?” He asked distractedly, turning the pages.

“When one has as many enemies as I do it is wise to keep vigilant.” Loki answered noncommittally.

That answer made Tony stop reading to look the god in the eyes with a glint of understanding, not quite approval, but it was obvious he could relate with that feeling of uneasiness, that made them look over their shoulders all the time. The look earned him a small smile of complicity from the god.

“Yes, I thought you would understand that better than any of your… colleagues.” Loki said softly, glad he had made the choice to come to Stark instead of one of the others. It was amazing how alike they were and again, he regretted the circumstances of their first meeting, knowing it was something Tony would never forget or truly forgive.

“But this doesn’t answer my original question, Reindeer Games.” Tony insisted, putting the papers back as neatly as they had been given to him. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought it was rather obvious.” Loki said, as he finished his drink without taking his eyes off the mortal.

“No, it’s not.” The genius relied. “You show up on Earth for no good reason, you confess you stole a jewel only for sentimental value and around the same time Fury goes missing when he was investigating Hydra, who’s big boss by the way has your sceptre. You have to admit it’s a hell of a coincidence.”

Everything about Tony screamed confidence in that moment. His words, his posture and the certainly his eyes, now that the initial surprise was gone, the fear was replaced by something Loki wasn’t sure he would describe as bravery or pure foolishness for facing him again without his armour.

“Mr. Sta…” He started to say only to receive a glare from the mortal, making him rectify. “Stark, I've told you from the beginning I’m only seeking the peaceful life I once had. I wish to return home and not worry with old enemies… or new ones. I have no knowledge of Hydra other than what I showed you. But if your information about the sceptre is true, I admit not only your director, but this entire realm is in great danger.”

He paused and let his words sink for a moment. Tony looked genuinely conflicted and Loki wondered why he was facing this alone, where were the others, and what had happened to the once tight group when they had been barely more than strangers. Where were they now?

“Okay, let’s for a moment, say that I believe you.” Tony said and refilled his own glass first, then Loki’s. “I have a pretty good idea of how dangerous that sceptre can be, myself excluded.” He pointed the circle of blue light visible in his chest and Loki gave him a satisfied nod. So that was the reason he couldn't control him. He had wondered but had no way of be certain. “You have nothing to loose if a crazy organization takes over the planet, not really…”

“I've told you, Stark, Midgard is my current home.” The god interrupted, only to be ignored.

“So, my original question still stands. What the hell are you doing here?”

“You are wrong. You can’t have the slightest idea of the danger that sceptre represents. You know it can control minds but that is only the beginning of its true power.” Loki said using all his power to control the fear he felt of that object and look as detached as possible. “But I know it, I could feel it for months and I assure you, the nine realms won’t survive if it’s ever used to its full capacity.”

“You’re saying you’re here to warn me?” Tony asked with a confused frown as if the idea was completely impossible.

“No, Stark. I’m here to ask for your help to destroy it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what do you think? Crappy chapter??  
> Please review and let me know what you're thinking of this story. Constructive criticism is more than welcome.


	5. From enemies to... allies... or something like that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, chapter 5 is here. But I have some bad news. Real life has been a bitch lately and my muse seems to be on vacation (And I was not invited!). So the next chapter will probably take a bit longer than usual. I'm so, so sorry for that. But I want to do the best I can and that's not easy without inspiration. That said, enjoy this chapter. And thank you for all the comments and kudos.

Tony looked at the god in front of him for a long moment, and wondered if he had been drinking more than usual and was now hallucinating this entire conversation. Or at least the last part of it. There was no way that Loki, the crazy god who attacked them and destroyed half of New York was here, in his living room, drinking his scotch and asking for his help to destroy his old toy.

“Let me get this straight…” He said after a small eternity of staring. “You’re here to ask for my help?” The idea was so strange he could barely start to grasp it. 

Loki nodded and put his empty glass down. “Yes, the sceptre must be destroyed for my own safety and everyone else’s in this side of the universe.” 

“Why me?” Tony finally asked, moving from behind the counter to go to the couch, gesturing for Loki to follow him. “Why not go to Thor or your father?” He knew all about Loki imprisoning Odin, but if this was such a huge threat, the king was his best option. 

“I don’t believe Odin is in any state to conduct a war.” Loki answered softly. He looked sad to admit it, and Tony wondered if Thor had left something out of the story. “And Thor would not trust me not to betray him… again.”

“And what makes you think I will?” Tony interrupted before the deity could explain any further. “We’re not exactly best buddies, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“You believe in second chances. And I have nothing to gain. If I tried to betray you and take the sceptre you are the only one capable of stopping me. Its power does not affect you.”

“Is that supposed to be reassuring?” Tony asked with a scrunched nose. He wasn’t convinced Loki wouldn’t kill him the first chance he got and he knew he couldn’t fully trust him. But he had very few options left, with the Avengers as scattered as they were. 

“Will you be able to retrieve the sceptre and destroy it alone?” Loki asked, raising a perfect eyebrow as he tilted his head, the green eyes fixed on him. 

Tony felt entranced by those eyes; it was easy to loose himself into the green. He shook his head and rubbed his own eyes to break the spell, kicking himself for even allowing those thoughts. This was Loki! The crazy god who thrown him out of a window!  
“I can always try.” He said without much conviction. They both knew that would be a lot more difficult, if possible at all. 

“In your message, you said someone from Hydra had the sceptre.” Loki recalled. “Do you know who does and what their intentions are?”

Was that what Loki was doing here? Fishing for information to go after the sceptre himself? It was possible Tony was being unfair for thinking of it, but… this was Loki. How could he trust his every word?

“Yes and no.” He confirmed without developing.

Loki chuckled and Tony noticed how soft his face looked when he did.

“I do not blame you for not trusting me with that information, Stark.”

“There’s more to that sceptre than you’re telling me, isn’t there?” Tony smirked with his own question. “It seems neither of us trusts each other…” The last part came out as a mutter, but he was sure Loki caught what he said, if his frown was any indication. 

“There is no need for you to know. The sceptre is more dangerous than you believe it to be and that should be enough for you to wish it destroyed.” Loki told him with an impassive face.

Tony took a deep breath and stood from the couch, being still for so long was making him antsy. And that had nothing to do with the fact that he had a sexy, crazy Norse god sat there with him. Wow, what? Where the hell had that came from? Since when was his brain thinking of Loki as sexy?

The lack of armour did a pretty good job to soften his entire figure and Tony allowed himself to have his first good look at the god in front of him. He was wearing dark dress pants, a dark green shirt and a scarf. His hair was a lot longer than what he remembered and that was something! Now it was past shoulder length in a perfect ponytail. There was no denying it, he looked damn hot!

Without a word, he went to the kitchen and got a bottle of water from the fridge. Whisky was not a good idea right now! If anything he was regretting the few glasses he’d had so far. But after draining half the bottle his opinion of the god didn’t change. Especially when he returned to the living room and His Highness was sprawled on the couch as if he owned the place, yet with such a regal posture he wouldn’t be surprised if a servant came out of nowhere and knelt in front of him.

“Get a grip, Stark.” He muttered to himself before he returned to the room, but instead of seating on the same spot he had been before, he sat on the floor and used the couch as a rest for his back. The change brought him closer to the other couch where Loki was looking at him with a quizzical look. It was a very bold move but this was his house, he could sit whatever the hell he wanted. 

“Okay.” He said as calm as if they were talking about the weather. “I’ll help you to destroy the blue stick of destiny but I have my conditions.”

Loki didn’t seem surprised with that. He nodded, as if expecting it.

“We have to share all the information we have on the subject.” He started numbering them using his fingers. “We’re not to make any moves without the other’s approval. You are not to hurt, kill, or manipulate me or any of my friends and allies.” Loki was giving him a bored look and made a small show of yawning. “You are not to fall asleep on me when I’m talking to you!” He said trying to keep a straight face. “And when we get to the sceptre I’m the only one touching it.” He finished, now more serious.

Loki was still looking impassive, his long fingers sliding over the leather of the armrest until he finally narrowed his eyes at Tony. “May I have one single item added to your list?” He asked.

“What?”

“I don’t want Thor involved unless we have no other option.” 

That was a reasonable request and given all the family drama, Tony wasn’t exactly in a hurry to put the two gods together in the same room. He wasn’t even sure if his poor tower would survive that.

“Not a problem. I haven’t seen much of your brother lately anyway.”

Tony realized his mistake almost as soon as he finished the sentence and Loki gave him a murderous glare.

“I would be grateful if you ceased to refer to Thor as my brother.” Loki said in a clear struggle to keep his regal composure.

“Okay, okay, let’s not start on the family drama. I have daytime television for that!” He said raising his hands in surrender. “No Pikachu. Got it.”

Loki gave him a blank look, not understanding the reference and Tony rolled his eyes. “You’re almost as bad as Cap. It’s an anime character.” He explained. “He’s yellow and projects electricity. Kind of reminds me of Thor.”

Loki was still giving him a confused look and Tony remembered he probably had no idea what an anime was. 

“JARVIS, get me a picture of Pikachu.” He ordered, curious to see Loki’s reaction.

Without a word from the A.I., the image of Pikachu releasing his energy bolts appeared on the screen near Loki and the god snorted inelegantly, his lips curling up, clearly amused.

“I can see the resemblance.” Was all he said before his face became serious again and he turned back to Tony. “I accept the agreement.” 

“Great!” Tony gave him a satisfied small and stood from the floor. “Should we have it signed in our own blood?” He asked with a smirk to which Loki rolled his eyes. 

“I assume your priority is to rescue your Director.” Loki said, not really turning it into a question but clearly waited for Tony to nod. “I may have a way to help.”

That made Tony frown and fix his eyes on Loki’s again. “Why?”

The god tilted his head slightly and looked confused. 

“Why are you even bothering to help save Fury?” The billionaire asked. “You don’t like him, he doesn’t like you. I can’t see the logic behind it.”

“If you do not need my assistance, I have plenty to do without rescuing your friend.” 

Tony was about to retort Fury wasn’t his friend, but that didn’t seem to matter to the discussion. He wouldn’t let Loki get away without an answer.

“That’s not what I said. If you can help, I’m not saying no to that. I just want to know the reason.”

“There is no ultimate reason, Stark.” Loki replied, and judging by edge of his voice he was starting to loose his patience. “Rescuing your Director is not only part of the entire plan to destroy the sceptre, it is also wise to find out if he has information about it.”

Tony wanted to push the subject, wanted to argue and find out if that was all it was, but he knew Loki was making sense, Fury might have valuable information. And if they were doing this, they needed to start trusting each other, at least to a certain degree.

“Fine. JARVIS, show Loki everything we have about Hydra, the sceptre and Fury’s travel plans.” Tony ordered sounding resigned.

“Sir, may I suggest you to call Agent Hill and hear her opinion about this?” The A.I. asked as he showed all the information they had so far.

“Hell, no! Hill is more than I can deal with right now.” Tony muttered, knowing she was going to kill him not if, but when, she found out about Loki. “If she contacts me just tell her I’m working on it, but don’t let her come here.” 

“As you wish, Sir.” 

When Tony turned his attention back to Loki he was expecting to find him reading the files on the screens. Instead, the god was looking at him with a fascinated look in his eyes.

“The sentient being you created is remarkable.” Loki said softly, his face impressed as he looked around the room as if expecting someone to appear. 

“I wouldn’t say JARVIS is fully sentient, not really.” Tony explained as he catalogued some loose files. “He’s programmed to tend to my well being but not to override my instructions. You have to admit this isn’t exactly a wise move.” He said pointing to them. “JARVIS still sees you as a potential threat, so he’ll act carefully.”

“Still remarkable.” The god said as impressed as before. If he was offended for being considered a threat he didn’t show it. 

They both focused on the information they had and spent hours going through each detail. Tony eventually told him the sceptre was not on Hydra’s files but it was part of a list of items taken by Strucker, and even though he had suspicions of where it might be, they had no way of knowing for certain. 

“Maybe I can find out.” Loki whispered more to himself and turned to the other blueprint showing the complete list of Hydra’s compounds, studying them. 

“How?” The inventor asked as he rubbed his eyes. He was tired, his headache had subsided a little but hadn’t disappeared, and hours of studying every detail was finally taking a toll on him.

“I can go to each of these locations and see what they are hiding there.” The god offered simply. 

“Are you crazy??” Tony asked, looking at the deity as If he had gone mad. Who knew what he would find and he was sure Hydra would love to get their hands on him. “You’ll get captured. Or killed!”

Loki looked at him for a second with an amused smile. “Your worry for my wellbeing his heart warming, Stark. But I will not get captured.”

“I’m not worried about you. I just don’t want to have to go there and save your ass on top of this all.” He muttered.

“So you would go in my rescue…” Loki said it as a comment, but was looking way too amused for Tony’s taste.

“If you’re captured it’s stupid to leave you there so Hydra can use you against us.” The man muttered in exasperation, not entirely sure he was being completely honest, but also not letting that thought assault him.

“You have nothing to fear, Stark.” Loki said with a smirk. “I will block my presence. Nothing will be able to detect me there. Magical or technological.”

Tony gave a long, exhausted sigh and shrugged. “Fine. Your skin, not mine. Whatever.” He said as he rubbed his temples, trying to keep his alertness and the headache at bay while he sat on the couch again. 

“You look tired.” The god noticed, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, that’s what happens to us mortals with only a few hours of sleep.”

Loki looked at the screen in front of him and frowned. The small clock at the bottom marked 3:47 am. “It is rather late indeed. I believe I have overstayed my welcome. I shall return home and study these compounds, if you allow me to make a paper copy of these files.”

“Just take one of the tablets. JARVIS can transfer everything you need.” Tony offered with his eyes still closed, not thinking twice about it.

“I prefer paper, if you don’t mind.” Loki insisted.

The inventor finally opened his eyes and smirked at the god. “Afraid I’d track you down?” 

Loki just laughed, openly and genuine and Tony couldn’t help but notice again how soft his face and eyes became, glinting with amusement and something he would describe as admiration, but wasn’t sure he was right. 

“Would you not?” Came the question when the laughter subsided.

“Hell, yes!” He admitted unashamed and chuckled too. “Just out of pure curiosity. I mean… are you living in an apartment in Hong Kong? A cottage in the Black Forest? A warehouse in Brazil? You’re not my neighbour, are you?” He asked as he sent a suspicious look to the window showing the buildings around the tower. Of course he was curious, not because he feared for his safety but he genuinely wondered what kind of place Loki would live in.

“None of those options.” Loki smiled. “But I admit I like the idea of a cottage in the forest.” He smirked.

“Come on Bambi! I’m not gonna murder you in your sleep” The man defended in a whine.

“Do not call me that. I have no relation to deer.” 

“You know what Bambi is?” Tony’s eyes widened in surprised and he laughed again. “I’m not even sure if that’s cute, hilarious or disturbing.” 

“Mr. Odinson, your papers are ready.” JARVIS interrupted them and Tony didn’t miss the way Loki flinched with the name.

“Hmm… just Loki is perfectly acceptable.” He god said almost too quietly.

“My apologies, Mr. Loki.” The A.I. answered, surprising his creator. It was rare for JARVIS to apologize for something without sounding sarcastic, but for some reason he sounded as honest as possible.

“Look at that! You’ve made a new friend.” Tony joked to lighten the mood and stood from the couch, signalling for the other to follow him to a small office in the hallway where he kept one of the printers. 

He took the papers and put them in a folder, quickly writing his number on a post it. “That’s my private number. I’m sure you can find a way to call me without me being able to trace it.”

“I gave you the parchment for a reason.” Loki argued but didn’t seem too against the idea.

“Not practical. I’d have to carry it around everywhere and check it every five minutes to make sure you’re not begging for me to go and rescue your ass.” The inventor replied. “Cell phone is much easier.”

Loki sighed but accepted the folder with the number. “I’ll contact you before I go to Germany.”

“See, that’s the spirit!” Tony gave him a bright smile and Loki shook his head at him.

“Good night, Stark.” And with that he was gone from the room, leaving only a green fog behind.

“Why does he have to be such a diva?” The inventor muttered to the empty room and decided to go to bed. Something told him the next few days were going to be eventful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment? They mean the world to me! Maybe they'll make my muse return a bit faster. Who knows? ;)


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